On Wed, 26 May 2021 12:22:17 -0000 (UTC), jon wrote:

On Wed, 26 May 2021 13:03:07 +0100, R D S wrote:

I'm looking for a car, XC60 2.0 D4 if anyone has any opinions on those.

I've never owned an automatic and never wanted one but I test drove one
yesterday and while i'm not going to be buying that particular one
having driven it i'm wondering if i'd actually prefer an auto. It
certainly wasn't like autos of old that i've driven.

But if I come back to the idea i'd prefer a manual I can save a couple
of grand.

Looking for opinions from anyone who's changed sides.

Automatic, I have had autos since 1969. Previous Zodiacs, Rovers and
Jaguars were all manual.

I've been driving autos on and off for something like 50 years. I
passed the test on a manual but my dad had a Triumph 2000 auto which
he let me drive (!).

Those early one were Borg Warner 3-speed jobs. Easy to drive but very
little control over the box which meant it took a while sometimes to
work out what gear it needed.

Then I started visiting family in the USA; no choice there and the
Borg Warner type boxes combined with lazy US cars required a different
driving style. There was one in the late 1990s that I took from Denver
into Yellowstone Park and coming out of the park over the "Beartooth
Highway" there was a long, long descent and I realised that the only
low gear I had access to was the lowest so I had to stop on the way
down to allow brakes to cool!

For a long time I had manuals but then my wife got a Subaru Justy (I
think that was it) with an auto box and 4WD. All she really wanted was
the auto. Her work as a Health Visitor meant quite a lot of short
distance driving between clients to which the auto was well suited.

These days I have a Yeti auto on a diesel engine. 6 gears, two auto
selections - Drive and Sport plus the ability to select individual
gears (but only 1 up/down, no changing through 2 gears in one move).
My wife drives a Jazz with a CVT box with paddle changers that
(nominally) provide access to 7 gears. I much prefer the VW/Yeti box
which allows me the freedom not to HAVE to think about gears and to
concentrate on the road. It's not perfect in auto mode but it's pretty
clever changing down, for instance, as you slow.

I will/can dive an auto but I've come to recognise the benefits in
recent years.